April 5, 2019

The ladder of life, the death of work, the cane toad of property and some other stuff

We start with a question. Why hasn’t the gig economy killed traditional work?, asks Greg Rosalsky and goes on to explain what many people have now realised. The answer, as Greg points out, is that the gig economy doesn’t replace traditional work, never has, and the rise of casual work of this kind has primarily been a way for people to deal with a volatile labour market and shrinking real incomes. Offer them the choice of a decent monthly income, benefits and a contract and most of them will take you up on it.

April 5, 2019

Brexit, Brits and blending: what MIPIM told us about the state of corporate real estate

by Anna King • Comment, Property

MIPIM celebrated its 30th anniversary during uncertain political and economic times, yet the mood was positive and even the backdrop of an impending Brexit decision failed to derail the UK contingent. However, the one thing missing from MIPIM in 2019 was British politicians. They were all back home, participating in decisive votes in the House of Commons as Parliament continued to kick the Brexit can down the road.

April 4, 2019

People, not cost now most important factor behind corporate real estate decisions

by Marie Hillen • Facilities management, News, Property

The corporate appetite for flexible space continues to grow as around two-thirds of occupiers rank employee engagement (68 percent) and talent attraction & development (65 percent) as two of the three most important drivers of corporate real estate (CRE) strategy. According to the 2019 EMEA Occupier Survey by CBRE over a third of companies see labour and skills shortages as a key strategic challenge, double last year’s result. In line with last year’s survey, technology disruption (36 percent) economic uncertainty (43 percent) and cost escalation (31 percent) all feature highly as key challenges for occupiers.

April 2, 2019

Mind launches toolkit to promote better wellbeing in the built environment

by George Eltringham • News, Wellbeing

A new toolkit is online at the Mental Health at Work website. This UK-wide initiative allows all types of employers and employees to access free tools, advice and information – all in one place. The construction toolkit includes resources from a range of expert organisations. The resources include tips on how to start the conversation on mental health, mental health first aid training and five steps to building a positive and supportive culture in construction. Mind invited colleagues from Building Mental Health to put together this toolkit of resources. More →

April 1, 2019

Against metrics: how measuring performance by numbers backfires

by Jerry Z Muller • Features, Workplace

More and more companies, government agencies, educational institutions and philanthropic organisations are today in the grip of a new phenomenon. I’ve termed it ‘metric fixation’. The key components of metric fixation are the belief that it is possible – and desirable – to replace professional judgment (acquired through personal experience and talent) with numerical indicators of comparative performance based upon standardised data (metrics); and that the best way to motivate people within these organisations is by attaching rewards and penalties to their measured performance. More →

April 1, 2019

Green Building Council releases guidance on social value for local authorities

by Neil Franklin • Environment, News, Property, Public Sector

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has released its latest guidance document, detailing how local authorities can help ensure that new construction and property development in their area positively impacts people and communities by delivering social value. More →

March 29, 2019

Co-design is an old idea, but it belongs to the 21st Century like never before

by Jonathan Hindle • Comment, Workplace design

As with so many apparently new ideas that resonate in a contemporary context, co-design has a long history. Originally referred to as cooperative or participatory design, it was first applied in Scandinavia in the 1960s and 70s, especially as a way of engaging stakeholders in the public sector in the design and development of IT projects, healthcare and workplaces. Arguably, our modern understanding of the idea was first set out by C.K. Prahalad and Venkatram Ramaswamy in a 2000 Harvard Business Review article called Co-opting Customer Competence and a subsequent book by the authors on the subject. They argue that there is a growing trend for firms to actively seek the insight and competence of customers to offer them better solutions, tailored to their own needs. More →

March 29, 2019

Need for employee resilience heightened in a time of constant change

by George Eltringham • News, Workplace

Challenges facing UK businesses in the next five years have heightened the need for employee resilience, according to new research from recruitment specialist Robert Half UK. As businesses adapt to an ongoing period of change, more than nine in 10 (94 percent) CFOs think developing resilience amongst their employees will be important over the next two to five years, with 43 percent citing this as very important. This is critical to almost all (97 percent) CFOs from London-based businesses – the UK’s financial hub. More →

March 28, 2019

The rise of the digital workplace is transforming the physical office

by Giles Fuchs • Comment, Coworking, Workplace design

A recent survey by Gartner predicts that one in five workers will have an AI bot as their co-worker by 2022. It’s almost impossible to talk about the future of the workplace without mention of AI or robotics, and is therefore hardly surprising that there is a feeling of apprehension amongst workers. PwC’s 21st global CEO Survey in 2018 revealed that between 23 percent and 51 percent of respondents were “extremely concerned” about the speed of technological change, and indicated “anxiety about the impending promise and perils of AI.”

March 26, 2019

Four day working week would still allow people to complete their work

by George Eltringham • Flexible working, News

Ahead of daylight savings this weekend, The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated has released part two of a global survey examining how employees across eight nations view their relationship with work and life, asking the simple question, “What would you do with more time?” These results from The Workforce Institute at Kronos and Future Workplace came from a survey of nearly 3,000 workers across the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Mexico and the US look at the rationale for a four day working week.

March 22, 2019

UK gets new £5 million climate change research centre

by George Eltringham • Environment, News

Cardiff University has been selected as the main hub for a £5 million research centre to explore how we can live differently to achieve the rapid and far-reaching emissions cuts required to address climate change. A collaboration between Cardiff, Manchester, York and East Anglia Universities, and charity Climate Outreach, the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) will work closely with industry, local/national governments, and charities to tackle climate change. It is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. More →

March 21, 2019

Government publishes strategy for future mobility in UK cities

by Neil Franklin • Cities, News

The UK government has published its Future of mobility: urban strategy, which sets out its approach to working with innovators, companies, local authorities and other stakeholders to develop benefits of new urban mobility technologies. Alongside publication of the strategy, it has also launched a £90 million competition for cities to deliver Future of Mobility Zones, which follows £60 million awarded to 10 cities across the UK via the Transforming Cities Fund. It aims to support local leaders and industry to trial new mobility services, modes and models through the creation of up to four future mobility zones. More →